Civil War

SLAVERYThe burning issue that led to the disruption of the union, however, was the debate over the future of slavery. That dispute led to secession, and secession brought about a war in which the Northern and Western states and territories fought to preserve the Union, and the South fought to establish Southern independence as a new confederation of states under its own constitution. In the late 18th century, the abolitionist movement began in the north and the country began to divide over the issue between north and south. In 1820, the Missouri Compromise banned slavery in all new western territories, which southern states saw as a threat to the institution of slavery itself. With the election in 1860 of Abraham Lincoln, who ran on a position of anti-slavery, the south felt that slavery was sure to be abolished, causing many southern states to secede from the union. This capped off the bloody Civil War During the war, Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, freeing all slaves in the confederate states. But it wasn’t until the Union had actually won the war and the subsequent passage of the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution that the American slaves were officially freed. STATES RIGHTS

States’ Rights refer to the struggle between the federal government and individual states over political power. In the Civil War era, this struggle focused heavily on the institution of slavery and whether the federal government had the right to regulate or even abolish slavery within an individual state. The sides of this debate were largely drawn between northern and southern states, thus widened the growing divide within the nation. As long as there were an equal number of slave-holding states in the South as non-slave-holding states in the North, the two regions had even representation in the Senate and neither could dictate to the other. However, each new territory that applied for statehood threatened to upset this balance of power. Southerners consistently argued for states’ rights and a weak federal government but it was not until the 1850s that they raised the issue of secession. Southerners argued that, having ratified the Constitution and having agreed to join the new nation in the late 1780s, they retained the power to cancel the agreement and they threatened to do just that unless, as South Carolinian John C. Calhoun put it, the Senate passed a constitutional amendment to give back to the South. Non-violent attempts at resolution culminated in violence in 1859 when Northern abolitionist John Brown abandoned discussion and took direct action in a raid on the arsenal at Harpers Ferry, Virginia. Though unsuccessful, the raid confirmed Southern fears of a Northern conspiracy to end slavery. When anti-slavery Republican Abraham Lincoln won the presidential election in 1860, Southerners were sure that the North meant to take away their right to govern themselves, abolish slavery, and destroy the Southern economy. Having exhausted their legal and political options, they felt that the only way to protect themselves from this Northern assault was to no longer be a part of the United States of America. Although the Southern states seceded separately, without intending to form a new nation, they soon banded together in a loose coalition. Northerners, however, led by Abraham Lincoln, viewed secession as an illegal act. The Confederate States of America was not a new country; they felt, but a group of treasonous rebels. ABOLITIONIST MOVEMENT

By the early 1830s, those who wished to see that institution abolished within the United States were becoming more strident and influential. They claimed obedience to "higher law" over obedience to the Constitution’s guarantee that a fugitive from one state would be considered a fugitive in all states. The fugitive slave act along with the publishing of Harriet Beecher Stowe’s Uncle Tom’s Cabin helped expand the support for abolishing slavery nationwide. This antislavery movement...

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The American CivilWar is one of the most significant events that occurred in the United States of America. The CivilWar, also appropriately known as the War between the States, was fought from 1861-1865. This war involved the rivalry between the states of the Northern and Southern territories. The War was declared when the Southern states declared their secession and formed the Confederacy, a new government, of the south. There has been many disputes over which societal events led up to this war and many scholars have tried to narrow down which might be the lead cause of the CivilWar. The argument over slavery, the election of Abraham Lincoln, The Abolitionist Movement, and the Missouri Compromise are all leading factors that contributed to the commencement of the CivilWar.
Slavery is more commonly known as the the main reason why the CivilWar was declared. Initially, slavery was welcomed in the Northern States as well as the Southern States. Certain people did not realize that the slavery was immoral and some of these white Americans believed that they have sovereignty over the African Americans. During the 1840’s to the 1850’s a great potato famine broke out across the globe in places like Ireland and Germany. This caused poverty...

...The American CivilWar lasted from 1861-1865, and is known as one of the most crucial events in the history of American. In those four years, more than half a million soldiers from both the Confederate and Union side were either wounded or died trying to fight for what they believed in. A nation was divided and mass social and economical changes occurred throughout the entire region. This fight over slavery and State rights would pit man against man and create a greater debt within the United States than anyone could have possibly imagined. However, whether it was directly or indirectly, it led to true unification, abolished slavery and gave women a voice that had previously not been heard.
All Men Are Created Equal
In 1860, the Southern states of the nation were the last in the Western world to still occupy and enforce human slavery. The Dutch had brought black slaves to the United States in early 17th century and from there, the use of slaves grew. By the 18th century, there were half a million in the country. In a country that’s Declaration of Independence started off with “all men are created equal”, this was a far cry from it and nothing short of hypocrisy. By building a nation built off of the tolerance of slavery, it was denying its own occupancies, the very same principles it stood for. The Country had spent most of the last ten years divided over the issue of slavery, and many voters believed the well-being of the nation depended...

...The CivilWar
During both the civilwar and civilwar reconstruction time periods,
there were many changes going on in the Union. The Emancipation Proclamation,
as well as legislation such as the thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth
amendments, was causing a new awakening of democracy; while the renouncing of
secession by the South marked a definite triumph for Nationalism. As well, the
government was involved in altercations of its own. During reconstruction, the
legislative and executive branches eventually came to blows over the use of
power. The nation was being altered by forces which caused, and later repaired,
a broken Union.
The first of these "forces", was the expansion of democracy. As early
as 1862, Lincoln was taking a major step in that direction. On September 22,
Lincoln announced the freeing of all slaves in areas not in Union control.
Although the proclamation did not free all slaves everywhere, it was the action
that would push Congress to pass the thirteenth amendment in 1865. The
amendment, ratified later in 1865, stated that "Neither slavery nor involuntary
servitude . . . shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to
their jurisdiction." It seemed democracy had triumphed by giving freedom to
slaves, but the amendment was not complete. It only stopped slavery, and made
no provisions for citizenship; therefore, blacks were...

...﻿American CivilWar
Milan Patel
The journal paper discusses the problems faced by Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis that contributed to civilwar in their respective states. It analyses the contribution of each person in the American civilwar. The achievements of both commanders will also be discussed together with their weaknesses.
Introduction
A civilwar involves the conflict between different groups in the same state. The main objectives of the civilwar are the intention of one group to exercise control over the other group or to need to amend some government policies, which are unfavorable to them. Each occurrence of civilwar is associated with a particular commander who is responsible for initiating the war.
Main Text
Abraham Lincoln acted as the 16th president of the United States from 1861. However, he was assassinated in the year 1865. His assassination led to his removal from power. He was responsible for the greatest civilwar in United States, which was immoral, and against the constitution (Wiegand & Steve, 43). One of the problems he faced during the war was the need to stop slavery. He believed that the problem of slavery would split the Union. Therefore, his main agenda was to save the Union from collapsing instead of freeing the...

...Was the CivilWar a Just War?
The Vindication of Clement Vallandigham
Clement Vallandigham believed the American CivilWar was unjust and as a result he was “tried by court-martial, convicted, and sentenced to a term in a military prison during the continuance of the war” (234). Vallandigham’s loyalty was not to President Lincoln but to the principles that this country was supposed to stand for. The Declaration of Independence says the government is established by the people in order to protect the rights of the people, foremost among these rights are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. When the government become destructive towards those rights it is the right of the people to alter or abolish the government. Blind obedience to government is a sign of a totalitarian state. Disobedience to government as practiced by Vallandigham, is a democratic act when that government is not fulfilling its duty to protect its obligations.
It is a tough task to criticise the righteousness of the CivilWar as Vallandigham did. In retrospect we all know the benefit that was obtained by the war, the freedom of the slaves. Was it worth it? The slaves were freed, and what happened after that? Were they really freed? There was no more slavery, but the slaves, were left without resources. The result was they were still under the control of the plantation...

...Roman Robinson
Kristen Anderson
HIST 3060
February 25, 13
African Americans and the CivilWar
The role African Americans played in the outcome, and the road to the outcome of the CivilWar was immense. The fact that the south had slaves and the north did not played an enormous role in the issues. The north wanted to abolish slavery, and the south did not and after the war started this became one of the main reasons for the CivilWar. Since most African Americans could not read or write, this made them an easy target, for slavery, against the dominant white man. Once the slaves got to America they started to realize how much trouble they were actually in. The north and the south had a problem brewing, and that was due to the slave uprisings and the run a ways. African Americans played an enormous role in the outcome of the CivilWar because of the part they took in it.
The civilwar, which took place from 1861 to the 1920s, the African American community made tremendous strides toward them becoming apart of America and equals in America. Since they had been controlled by the power of the whites for so long, their independence was extremely unfamiliar to them, with their new emancipation. Since they were so uncertain, they debated about the most effect way to go about actually receiving the rights they...

...carried to its fullest extent in the United States in the years before and during the CivilWar. The South, also known as the Confederates, supported slavery. The North, also known as the Union, was anti-slavery, and made every effort that they could to cease it. The Confederates were usually cruel to their slaves, and denied them basic rights. The Union supporters were right in their attempts to end slavery and protect the deserved equity of all people: white or black. Although slavery was not the only cause of the CivilWar, it was a main factor to which the other issues seem minuscule.
The event that caused the outbreak of the CivilWar was the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1850. Primarily, this document dealt with the right to reclaim runaway slaves. This law enabled southerners to call upon the federal government to capture runaway slaves who had fled from the South, and may be living in the North, in hope of a safe haven. The Fugitive Slave Act and the laws that it made legal, caused extreme controversy in the North. This caused a major split between the North and South.
Some northern states passed laws forbidding state officials to enforce the Fugitive Slave Law, which only angered the southern states. Many northerners started to take action to help slaves escape from their owners. This major controversy over the runaway slaves sparked the beginning of the...

...The CivilWar was all the Northern States’ fault. The “issue” of slavery should not have bothered them in the first place. If someone had a problem with slavery the solution was simple: don’t own slaves. Instead, they tried meddling with slavery which lead to the Southern States’ secession and eventually, the CivilWar.
In my opinion, I think it all began with these new territories acquired from the Mexican-American war. The Northern States refused to allow slavery to enter this new land. Southern States, of course, wanted slavery. This was some great land. What better way to use it than by growing more crops? Agriculture is great for everyone: it gets people fed and clothed, and it helps the Union’s growing economy. So, how would you grow and pick these crops? You wouldn’t. You would get slaves to do all the work. I fail to understand why the North had this issue over slavery. The North did not want for slavery to expand so they began issuing these crazy acts and laws, like in 1846 they came up with the Wilmot Proviso which prohibited slavery in the new territories. This resulted in the uneven amount of slave states and free states. President Zachary Taylor wasn’t doing a good job of helping us out either. He had this plan that would determine if slavery is allowed or not in a territory based on voting. I voted for him because he was a slaveholder so I expected a lot of him. The government also came...